Fijian Corgettes

Ingredients

675g/1-½ lb Courgettes (zucchini), cut into 6mm/¼ -inch slices

225g/8oz Mushrooms, sliced vertically

60ml/2fl.oz. Vegetable Oil

Salt

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

120ml/4fl.oz. Chicken Stock

2 teasp Cornflour

3 tbsp Water

 

Instructions

 

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and saute the mushrooms for  3-4 minutes.

 

2. Add the courgettes and stir fry for 3 minutes until well coated with the oil.

 

3. Add the salt, soy sauce and chicken stock, bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 minute or until zucchini is tender crisp.

 

4. Mix the cornflour with the water in a small bowl or cup then add to the pan, stirring constantly and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Serve immediately.

 

Kokoda - Fijian Fish Ceviche

by Fijian Food Safari

served in a half coconut shell

The Kokoda (“Koh-konda”) is one of Fiji’s traditional & most well known fish dishes.  Like the Peruvian “Ceviche”, Fijian’s ‘cook’ Walu mackeral by curing it overnight in lemon juice,  then mixing it with a coconut salsa to enjoy as a cold seafood salad.

1kg        Fresh Walu Spanish Mackeral (or any firm white flesh), cubed 1" square
1 cup     Lemon juice
1 cup     Coconut cream (fresh is better but canned ok)
¼ cup   Tomato, diced
1 T         Spring onion
¼ cup   White Onion, finely chopped
Red chilli, chopped fine (optional)
                 salt & pepper to taste

METHOD:
Cut fish into small cubes, 1” square
Place fish pieces into bowl with lemon juice and little salt
Store marinated fish in refrigerator for minimum of 2 hours or overnight
Rinse the fish under cold water, removing the excess proteins
In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients, check seasoning
Mix the cured fish with the coconut mixture
Serve chilled

South Pacific Chicken Salad

by Fijian Food Safari


2Tbsp     Light soy sauce
2 tsp     Brown or raw sugar
2 tsp     Asian fish sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1-2     Red chilli, chopped fine
1 big     Garlic clove, chopped fine
1 Tbsp     Chinese sesame oil
6 cups Shredded raw cabbage
1 cup     Cooked chicken, boiled or steamed
1 cup Carrot, grated
1 cup     Green paw paw, grated
1/3 cup Chopped peanuts, plus more to garnish
2 Tbsp     Coriander, chopped, plus more to garnish


Whisk all the sauces, sugar, chilli and sesame oil in a bowl to make the dressing
In a large bowl, toss the fruit and vegetables with the dressing.
Garnish with more nuts and coriander
Serve by itself or accompanied by grilled meat

Chicken Lollipops

Serves 6

24 chicken wings (winglet removed)

Marinade
1 tablespoon saffron threads
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 cups milk
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon aniseeds
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons salt

1 To prepare the chicken, make a small incision with a paring knife at the narrow end of the winglet. Scrape down on the bone, pushing the meat down to form a lollipop-like shape as the bone is exposed.

2 To prepare the marinade, soak the saffron threads in the lemon juice for 10 minutes. Combine with the zest, milk, shallots, aniseeds, garlic and salt in a blender and pulse for 30 seconds.

3 In a baking pan with sides, stand all the chicken wings straight up. Pour the marinade over the wings and refrigerate overnight.

4 Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake the wings for 8 minutes only. Remove them from the oven and let stand for about 1 hour. This step is necessary to blanch the wings slightly and set their shape before they go on the hot grill.

5 Prepare a medium fire in the grill/BBQ

6 Drain the wings. Oil the grate. Place the wings on the hot grate and grill for about 10 minutes, turning them with tongs occassionally.

7 Transfer the wings to a serving platter and serve

Squid and Bean salad

Serves 4-6

1kg/2 pound 3 oz squid, trimmed and gutted
salt and pepper
400g tin cannellini beans or 170g/6oz dried ones soaked and cooked until tender
1-2 fresh chillies, red and green
2 good handfuls of rocket
juice of 2 limes or 1 lemon
olive oil

Score the squid lightly in a casual criss-cross and set it to one side. Get a griddle pan very hot (or use Wok or BBQ). Season the squid lightly then add it to the pan. After a minute it should be nicely charred, turn it over, cook for another minute then remove it and set it aside.

Heat up the cannellini beans and sprinkle them into a bowl. Add the sliced chillies to the bowl with the rocket, lime/lemon juice, olive oil and season.

Cut the squid at irregular angles and toss it in. A good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to finish it off.